Mohamed Diame reflects on a momentous few weeks at Newcastle

The club is 10th in the Premier League – and 13 points clear of the relegation zone – after a run of four successive wins.

Diame was superb in midfield alongside Jonjo Shelvey in yesterday’s 2-1 win over Arsenal at St James’s Park.

Matt Ritchie and Ayoze Perez were on target for Rafa Benitez’s hard-working side.

The result took the club past Benitez’s 40-point target – with five games to spare.

“It’s a massive achievement,” said 30-year-old Diame.

“This team has been working hard since the beginning of the season, and I think we deserve it.

“It’s very good what is happening in this club, in this city. We are where we deserve to be, I think.

“It’s been tough – a few seasons before this club went down, then we got promoted and enjoyed last year.

“This season, everyone was thinking about fighting until the last game of the season, and getting that 41 points is a massive achievement.

“Everyone’s happy to fight for each other. This team has that spirit that gives you an extra breath, and the stadium – you saw how the fans were again, amazing, they were pushing us.

“It’s just the atmosphere – that’s what we’re trying to enjoy as much as we can.”

Newcastle, unbeaten at St James’s Park this year, will take on ninth-placed Everton at Goodison Park on Monday night knowing a win would take them up another place.

“The target is still the same as it was last week – to finish as high as possible,” Diame told NUFC TV.

“We’re going to enjoy it for a few days, then get back to work to prepare the game against Everton and try to win it again.

“We know what we want between us, and we want to finish as high as possible, so we are going to keep working.”